DangerKitty
shoddy writter
- Location
- lala land
[X] Upgrade the tools (-$5)
[X] I really don't know
Id rather investigate both tbh.
[X] I really don't know
Id rather investigate both tbh.
Money and Power: A Xianxia Merchant Quest
- Thread starter Mr. Prokosch
- Start date
A bit about the regions
Forgot to answer this:
Conehead is derogatory slang for Imperial agents. It refers to the head dressings they wear as part of the formal uniform. Oku used the term first in the story.
The Volcanic Mountain Region is far to the north of the 1000 Rivers Region. Like all citizens of the empire they speak Language, but they're distant enough to have many differing customs.
In 1000 Rivers and its neighboring regions many names draw from a pre-imperial language that's extinct in practice. A few scholars of history can read and write the original language but most people just think of what they want to name their kid and then look up what it should be in a dictionary. If asked to justify the custom they'll say it's because they don't want to confuse names with proper words. So, if you want to name your kids worm for some reason (you hate her father and wish to shame him) then you look up "worm" in the book and name her Okuillin. Fashion in the upper-crust of the 1000 Rivers follows the Imperial Capital, which belonged to a different pre-Imperial culture. Chachi and Teo wear the colorful multi-layered robes favored there. Mortals tend to wear loose white or brown smocks that go back to the pre-imperial roots.
The Volcanic Mountain Region belonged to an entirely different pre-imperial culture. It's far enough away that you have few dealings, and since you aren't investing in airships you probably won't in the near future. The True Lord there uses a few different titles, like "The Red Champion," "The Fire King," or just "The Lord of the Volcanic Mountains." It's considered rude to use his personal name unless you are a close friend or relative.
Regions are very consistent biomes, it's part of the Lord's Spiritual Dominion effect. On one border the 1000 Rivers, a very wet region with lots of tropical species turns instantly into a bone-dry desert. The Volcanic Mountains are mountains that are constantly spewing ash and lava, creating a harsh environment. It's less populated than the 1000 Rivers and the people who live there do so in enclaves protected by arrays. Lord and Region reflect each other symbiotically, it's a harsh land and he's a harsh Lord. He values strength and grit, hates luxuries, and has a quick temper.
Conehead is derogatory slang for Imperial agents. It refers to the head dressings they wear as part of the formal uniform. Oku used the term first in the story.
The Volcanic Mountain Region is far to the north of the 1000 Rivers Region. Like all citizens of the empire they speak Language, but they're distant enough to have many differing customs.
In 1000 Rivers and its neighboring regions many names draw from a pre-imperial language that's extinct in practice. A few scholars of history can read and write the original language but most people just think of what they want to name their kid and then look up what it should be in a dictionary. If asked to justify the custom they'll say it's because they don't want to confuse names with proper words. So, if you want to name your kids worm for some reason (you hate her father and wish to shame him) then you look up "worm" in the book and name her Okuillin. Fashion in the upper-crust of the 1000 Rivers follows the Imperial Capital, which belonged to a different pre-Imperial culture. Chachi and Teo wear the colorful multi-layered robes favored there. Mortals tend to wear loose white or brown smocks that go back to the pre-imperial roots.
The Volcanic Mountain Region belonged to an entirely different pre-imperial culture. It's far enough away that you have few dealings, and since you aren't investing in airships you probably won't in the near future. The True Lord there uses a few different titles, like "The Red Champion," "The Fire King," or just "The Lord of the Volcanic Mountains." It's considered rude to use his personal name unless you are a close friend or relative.
Regions are very consistent biomes, it's part of the Lord's Spiritual Dominion effect. On one border the 1000 Rivers, a very wet region with lots of tropical species turns instantly into a bone-dry desert. The Volcanic Mountains are mountains that are constantly spewing ash and lava, creating a harsh environment. It's less populated than the 1000 Rivers and the people who live there do so in enclaves protected by arrays. Lord and Region reflect each other symbiotically, it's a harsh land and he's a harsh Lord. He values strength and grit, hates luxuries, and has a quick temper.
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I think Teo has the luxury of keeping his hands clean. He knows it's rational for Chachi to let him continue running the business while she works on cultivating and can expect being patient to work his way.
Mom was definitely scheming, but all her spies being fired by Teo probably kneecapped those schemes. Hopefully the promotion keeps her busy, otherwise we might need to throw more work and responsibilities her way. She might have provided the blood but she didn't necessarily know what it was for and I find it highly implausible that she could have slipped it past Tet.
Tet seems rather guilty. Investing in spirit molluscs still sounds like a terrible bet, we saw no evidence in our investigation to suggest otherwise. And he seems far too cunning to not realize entire warehouses of blood were being prepared for shipment or what it meant.
Mom was definitely scheming, but all her spies being fired by Teo probably kneecapped those schemes. Hopefully the promotion keeps her busy, otherwise we might need to throw more work and responsibilities her way. She might have provided the blood but she didn't necessarily know what it was for and I find it highly implausible that she could have slipped it past Tet.
Tet seems rather guilty. Investing in spirit molluscs still sounds like a terrible bet, we saw no evidence in our investigation to suggest otherwise. And he seems far too cunning to not realize entire warehouses of blood were being prepared for shipment or what it meant.
J.I.M.S
BookWyrm
- Location
- Latveria
Doc is that you?
Um... Fantasy metal?
Ah no.
Welp. Don't put it around babies, mortals, and don't heat it up and breath it in. Super mercury sounds like a bad idea. I imagine normal stuff can be expelled through cultivation but the super mercury has me leery.
[X] I really don't know
I believe in Tet's innocence but the thread is unlikely to vote yes so uncertainty is the next best thing.
What Tet has going for him is the Abbysal deals might be a mom plot, possible insider info claiming that the Duke guy will reinforce his daughter is true, and he didn't confess under duress.
[X] Whatever he needs! (-5 income)
[X] Upgrade the tools (-$5)
Reserves minus Trains minus Armor minus Funding minus Upgrades
175−8−20−5−5=135
I think we'll be fine with 135. At least if I did my math right.
To be clear, Income is not the same thing as Reserves.
At what stage of cultivation is Atlikiti, by the way? Does Chachi know, @Mr. Prokosch ?
At what stage of cultivation is Atlikiti, by the way? Does Chachi know, @Mr. Prokosch ?
Perfect. His Foundation provides extended lifespan far beyond the norm and he is a very heavy elixir user, so Chachi would expect him to punch a bit higher than a Perfect normally would.
@J.I.M.S
Yup, as Epic Bygones has said. Investing in him and his work means we will be getting less $5 every term for as long as we keep sponsoring him. While buying new tools is just a good, old and plain five bucks here and now.
Considering we are already on the negative (-15$ per quarter) I don't know if it is a good investment or not...
Yup, as Epic Bygones has said. Investing in him and his work means we will be getting less $5 every term for as long as we keep sponsoring him. While buying new tools is just a good, old and plain five bucks here and now.
Considering we are already on the negative (-15$ per quarter) I don't know if it is a good investment or not...
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] I really don't know
[X] He's fine
[X] Upgrade the tools (-$5)
Let's investigate who exactly is doing the treason here. Also I don't want to commit to $5 extra expenses every turn, since we're already in the red and this is the kind of thing that's gonna be hard to claw back if we need to in the future. A one-off improvement is fine by me though.
[X] He's fine
[X] Upgrade the tools (-$5)
Let's investigate who exactly is doing the treason here. Also I don't want to commit to $5 extra expenses every turn, since we're already in the red and this is the kind of thing that's gonna be hard to claw back if we need to in the future. A one-off improvement is fine by me though.
- Location
- Spain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
1. Do you believe Tetlkoto when he claims innocence?
[X] I really don't know
2. Will you increase Atlikiti's funding?
[X] A little (-1 income)
[X] He's fine
3. You have voted to build infrastructure. Production could use new tools based on your Cosmic Forge. They won't come close to the Forge itself, but they would be a remarkable improvement and give an edge over the competition.
[X] Upgrade the tools (-$5)
[X] I really don't know
2. Will you increase Atlikiti's funding?
[X] A little (-1 income)
[X] He's fine
3. You have voted to build infrastructure. Production could use new tools based on your Cosmic Forge. They won't come close to the Forge itself, but they would be a remarkable improvement and give an edge over the competition.
[X] Upgrade the tools (-$5)
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- Location
- Spain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Vote tally
- Location
- USA
[X] I really don't know
[X] He's fine
[X] Upgrade the tools (-$5)
While he's the most likely culprit, the MC's mom is super sus. We can't really trust her in this investigation. The eldest brother probably can be trusted thought since his stance is to not rock the boat.
[X] He's fine
[X] Upgrade the tools (-$5)
While he's the most likely culprit, the MC's mom is super sus. We can't really trust her in this investigation. The eldest brother probably can be trusted thought since his stance is to not rock the boat.
Sorry about the delay, it's been a busy week with work
Finance
Chachi decided not to increase the Production budget. It was generous enough, and they were already losing income. They would have to be content with upgraded tools to play with.
The Tlaloc City branch of Finance was a smaller building than the Clan HQ, but like all the public-facing assets in the clan it exuded money and class. The centerpiece of the lobby was a fountain churned with a miniature waterfall, sending pleasant mist into the air. It distributed a cheap, highly diluted elixir to make clients feel relaxed and energized. Small metallic discs floated in the air. Each emitted pleasant sounds in harmony with the others, generating constantly shifting, inoffensive, empty, music. Chachi snorted at the similarly vapid paintings on the walls, pleasant landscapes and blurry animals, designed to be unmemorable.
She visited at midday, and the lobby was crowded with lines of petitioners, mostly mortals with a few Hungering cultivators sprinkled in. A sea of brown smocks. Higher status clients would be welcomed to private waiting rooms upstairs. The potential clients looked at her without recognition, while her employees threw themselves on the ground. The head of finance, Ueuetlasa, was waiting for her arrival. She bowed with practiced speed and rose to meet her. Like Chachi, she wore multi-layered blue and gray robes, in the Imperial fashion. She was plumper than Oku, with a rounder face, but the family resemblance was clear.
"Dear cousin!" she smiled professionally and took Chachi's hands, then turned around to address the crowd, "everyone! You are fortunate to meet the Matriarch of the Atalhu herself!"
A particularly bold young man in a dirty brown smock took the opportunity to shout out his petition, something about a village well, but he was quickly shushed by a worker. Chachi allowed herself to be guided up the stairs so her employees could get back to work. On the way out she quickly blessed this part of Finance with Efficiency, just like everywhere else she'd visited. She wasn't using that much Teotl lately, and it was nice to think that wherever she went the Clan would work that much better.
Her cousin spoke proudly as they headed up flight after flight of stairs, "finance is the newest, well I suppose now the second newest, department. I'm told our budget was once the sole responsibility of the Patriarch. As the Clan grew, he developed a wing of Administration to assist him with accounting. But, since we're a wealthy clan people kept asking us for loans for this or that, offering interest or favors for our assistance. In most clans the Patriarch would handle such requests personally."
Chachi flew up that stairs with ease. She was still young enough to remember what it was like to be a mortal child, and to delight in the sheer physical power of her cultivation base. She leapt up a few flights, eschewing the stairs entirely by propelling herself along the rails and walls with graceful kicks and pulls. Oku kept pace by sprinting directly up the wall, her armor's gauntlets granting her the ability to grip sheer surfaces. Chachi didn't design that… Neat! They raced for a few seconds, until Chachi heard a frustrated huffing coming from below and sheepishly slowed down so her cousin could keep up. Not cool to ditch the tour guide.
When Ueuetlasa caught up she continued as if nothing had happened, heavy breathing the only sign of Chachi's childishness, "The Great Patriarch," deep breaths, "was a visionary, so he saw possibilities in establishing a branch solely dedicated to," steadier breaths, "hearing out loan requests, filtering the cream from the crap, and then monitoring those accounts. In time, we expanded to seeking out people who need our money, but don't yet know they need it."
They arrived at the top floor and walked past the offices of some of the top managers. They reminded her of Teo, all tight shoulders and worried eyes. Finance was not doing well.
"We now have Atalhu Finance buildings like this in four major cities. Of course, the highest status petitioners may still request a private meeting with you. I ask that you discuss any such Matriarch Level Decisions in regards to external investment with us, just so we're on the same page."
They arrived at Ueuetlasa's own office. It was identical to the other managers, her only mark of distinction the branch-head title on the door and the sophisticated security arrays. Ueuetlasa slammed the door behind her a flopped down on the guest couch.
"We are hemorrhaging money," she'd lost the practiced, professional edge to her voice now that the privacy array was active, "we're a blazing inferno of spirit stones at the heart of the Clan, a ship taking on water faster than we can bail and I'm the shit-eating captain going down with it."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" Chachi chastened her, "you haven't really lost the money, you still know where it is, right?"
She groaned and sunk deeper into her seating, "Yeah, it's with everybody but us. The Patriarch's death shocked public confidence in the Atalhu Clan. Lesser clans no longer know their place, and think they can renegotiate terms on loans we've already paid out. Even small accounts think they can hide in the chaos, delaying or outright refusing payment with the hope that we can't collect. The thing is? They're right. We traded them real money for their name on a piece of paper. What suckers!"
"Alright," Chachi sighed, "what happened?"
Her cousin made a strange little gesture, tossing invisible grain in the air and then wiggling her fingers helplessly, "we grew very fast to meet a crazy swell of demand. The Patriarch insisted! He kept pushing us to give out more and more loans, from respected clan heads all the way down to enterprising mortals and destitute cultivators."
Chachi smiled nostalgically, "my father rarely made mistakes. If he pushed you to give out more loans than you could handle he must have had a reason."
She shrugged helplessly and balanced invisible scales in her hands, "He believed that the sheer number of loans would reduce risk. I guess, unless a critical mass decides not to pay at once. Now we have, literally, millions of individual accounts. We barely have the apparatus to keep track of them all, let alone establish and prosecute a legal case for each. Challenging each of these tiny debtors to a legal duel so we can enforce our claims is a logistical nightmare. We would lose more money trying to collect than the debt is worth. But we have to do something. The more we let slide, the more it signals to others that they really can take advantage of us."
Chachi shook her head slowly, "I decided on the advice of my brother not to duel our partners yet."
"Could you reconsider for some of the smaller, weaker accounts? We would select candidates where your victory is assured. We could even assign a team of representatives, if you're willing to let them duel in your name. That way it won't take any more of your time. If the public sees that we are publically challenging over our debts, they may be intimidated into paying on their own."
Oku spat on her rug, "nah, you've got it all mixed up. They owe you. They aren't paying you. Everyone knows you gotta break their legs.
Ueuetlasa rubbed her face, "well, that's a colorful metaphor, but I don't see how it's different from my proposal?"
"Cause you think I'm talking in metaphor," Oku sneered, "break down their door, break their legs, and take what they owe you plus some extra for your trouble."
"But that's illegal!"
Oku rolled her eyes at that, "It's not treason or nothing. Just a clan seeing to its business. City guards are there to scare off bandits and break up brawls. The fuck can they do to us? They go to a conehead and he'll laugh 'em out of the room. They could go to a Lord, if they can even swing that shit, but what does he care? We're not thieves, we're a respected clan with a grievance. Worst thing he'll do is ask for a kickback. They go to an arbiter, and he'll ask if they're challenging. If they challenge, we fuck 'em up so much harder. That's the way to go. It'll send the right message a lot faster, and you'll make some money out of it."
1. What is your general stance towards deadbeats?
[] Dramatic
Big, spectacular duels. If you can prove a legitimate grievance, and you can, then the Arbiter will force them to accept a duel to resolve it. Make the terms of the duel as punitive as possible and advertise the results. Ueuetlasa supports this.
[] Aggressive
Badger them, threaten them, and if they still refuse to pay, outright steal their property. Such direct action is legally murky, but you can rely on your wealth, status, and power to protect you. They do owe you, after all. Oku supports this
[] Passive
Keep compounding interest on the deadbeat accounts, but acknowledge that some debt is just uncollectable and write it off in practice. Advise Finance to be more cautious about who they loan to in the future. By not doing anything himself, Teo is implicitly endorsing this.
[] Write in
Oversight
[Secret Roll]
The Finance books are fiendishly complex. Chachi is sure there are inefficiencies here, but they're well beyond her novice bureaucratic skills. She suspects it would be extremely easy to steal money from finance right now, and if that's clear to her it would be just as clear to anyone else with a management position in the branch. Thus far, if there is embezzlement, she has no specific suspects. Just vague suspicions. Her cousin seems trustworthy enough, but she also seems overwhelmed.
Build Infrastructure
Your Finance department is not doing well. You voted to build infrastructure. What do you want to do about it?
[] Administrative treasures (-$5)
Consult with the branch head to build new devices to help them with logistics. Perhaps some kind of 'computation machines' to help them keep track of their accounts? You've already committed significant time this quarter when it comes to using the Forge to personally build infrastructure, so this will introduce a slight risk of failure to the Train and Tools projects. However, you are immensely talented, so the risk is still low if you don't add yet another project.
[] New Hires (-1 income)
Finance needs to expand, so expand them. Increase the branch head's personnel budget and she'll handle the hiring and training herself.
[] Full Rebuild (-$20, -5 income)
You have plans, such beautiful plans! Your father must have seen something special in this young branch, and you're starting to see the same thing. Why bother selling things, when you can make money from nothing? Commit to a massive wave of new treasures, new specialist hires, and new organizational schemes. Finance will become a pet project for the next few quarters with further votes focused on the full shape of this rebuild.
[] Nothing
DangerKitty
shoddy writter
- Location
- lala land
[X] Aggressive
They are trying to make fools of us, also want to let oku have her way some times. If we always shoot down her ides she will probably feel ignored. This is a fairly easy way to do it.
Not down for dueling the small clans because that sends a message that we are scared of the big ones if we are doing things officially and avoiding stepping on the toes of the big clan. Allowing a department to be a little shady in this area allows us to fix the problem without all but publicly admitting that we are scared of the bigger clans by only challenging small ones.
[X] New Hires (-1 income)
With the above vote solving their money problem, i think a light touch will suffice for now. We definitely need to revisit this branch when chachi has more knowhow however to catch any thiefs that may pop up, especially with the new hires. Save our income for other projects for now. We cant afford to solve every problem completely this quarter.
They are trying to make fools of us, also want to let oku have her way some times. If we always shoot down her ides she will probably feel ignored. This is a fairly easy way to do it.
Not down for dueling the small clans because that sends a message that we are scared of the big ones if we are doing things officially and avoiding stepping on the toes of the big clan. Allowing a department to be a little shady in this area allows us to fix the problem without all but publicly admitting that we are scared of the bigger clans by only challenging small ones.
[X] New Hires (-1 income)
With the above vote solving their money problem, i think a light touch will suffice for now. We definitely need to revisit this branch when chachi has more knowhow however to catch any thiefs that may pop up, especially with the new hires. Save our income for other projects for now. We cant afford to solve every problem completely this quarter.
TimEd
Meteor maker
Honestly I'm more inclined towards breaking legs for this. That will at the least clear out those tiny problems that cost more to arbitrate than leave alone. We can decide what to do to those bigger problems later when we could possibly afford to pay for official arbitration.
[X] Aggressive
[X] New Hires (-1 income)
[X] Aggressive
[X] New Hires (-1 income)
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How long ago was the Finance department created by the Patriarch, @Mr. Prokosch ?
It's been around for 22 years but he really started pushing them to loan to everyone in the last five.
- Location
- Canada
[X] Passive
[X] Administrative treasures (-$5)
I'm in favor of the cruel option, compound interest. Beating people up may be super satisfying, but it will make it considerably harder to loan money to people in the future, hurting this branch in the long run.
How much do people owe us per quarter anyways?
Can we make an effort to target only those who are getting close to not being able to pay? Long-term, it's really only people who owe more than they can pay who are hurting us if we are collecting eventually.
[X] Administrative treasures (-$5)
I'm in favor of the cruel option, compound interest. Beating people up may be super satisfying, but it will make it considerably harder to loan money to people in the future, hurting this branch in the long run.
How much do people owe us per quarter anyways?
Can we make an effort to target only those who are getting close to not being able to pay? Long-term, it's really only people who owe more than they can pay who are hurting us if we are collecting eventually.
1. About $15 per quarter if everyone was paying
2. At the moment you lack the ability to do that with precision. It would take a lot of expertise or better tools to predict when the interest has grown beyond their ability to pay. If you hired specialists and made the proper tools something like that is within your clan's theoretical capabilities, they're just not set up to do it right now.
2. At the moment you lack the ability to do that with precision. It would take a lot of expertise or better tools to predict when the interest has grown beyond their ability to pay. If you hired specialists and made the proper tools something like that is within your clan's theoretical capabilities, they're just not set up to do it right now.
TimEd
Meteor maker
I posit that gaining the reputation as a lender who can have their debts written off if they become too annoying is much more damaging to our short, mid, and long term prospects.